A HEALTH chief says children can go to school with a runny nose or sore throat.

Jo Wilson,  head of programmes at Public Health Dorset,said: “We’re really pleased to see so many children back in our schools, particularly because we know it’s good for their emotional health and wellbeing.

“But we also know there’s some colds circulating, and parents, I’m sure you’re going to be more worried than usual about making sure that you know what to do if your child’s unwell, so here’s a few helpful tips.

“Is your child well enough for school? If they’re not then they should stay at home with you as usual.

“This doesn’t mean that they can’t go to school if they’ve got a runny nose or a sore throat, that’s fine for them to go back into school.

“If your child has experienced anything like diarrhoea or vomiting then they should follow the usual school policy which is to stay at home for 48 hours after the last time they had those symptoms.

“If your child however has any symptoms of Covid-19, and this looks like a continuous cough for about an hour, or three episodes in 24 hours, a high temperature, or they’ve got any loss of taste or smell then they need to stay at home and you need to help them seek testing to find out if they have Covid-19.”